Oswald Boelcke

WWI German ace and tactician, 40 kills

Oswald Boelcke
developed the most successful flying tactics used by
German aces, making possible the later achievements of Manfred von
Richthofen. Boelcke flew the first Fokker E.I, won the Pour le
Mérite, commanded Jasta 2, mentored many younger German fliers, and
was even decorated by the French for rescuing a child from drowning.

Childhood

He was born in 1891, son of a schoolteacher. His older brothers,
Wilhelm and Friederich, had been born in Argentina, but by 1891, the
Boelcke family had returned to Halle, Germany. Both studious and
athletic as a youth, Oswald excelled at mathematics and physics, and
also took up swimming, tennis, rowing, and gymnastics. Imbued with
German nationalism and militarism from his father, young Oswald took
the outrageous step of writing Kaiser Wilhelm directly for an
appointment to military school - at the age of thirteen.

He joined the military and at Darmstadt first encountered the
aviation branch, which he joined as an NCO pilot. His older brother
Wilhelm also joined the aviation service, as an NCO observer. (In those
early days, observers had more status than pilots, who were likened to
mere chauffeurs.) Both were decorated in the first year of the war.

Section 62

After a bout with bronchial illness, in early 1915 Oswald Boelcke was
assigned to the newly formed aviation Section 62 at Döberitz. Here,
Tony Fokker first demonstrated his first E-I monoplane, Eindecker,
equipped with a fixed Spandau machine gun, which fired forward through
the propeller arc, thanks to an interrupter mechanism. As related in
the Immelmann article, the two of
them shortly went after some British bombers and Immelmann shot one
down. The so-called "Fokker Scourge" had begun.

Boelcke downed five enemy aircraft by the end of 1915, while flying
the Fokker monoplane. Despite its revolutionary armament, German pilots
never really liked the Fokker, and when Halberstadt and Albatros
introduced new biplanes in early 1916, these were eagerly adopted. The
French Nieuport 11 and the British pusher biplanes were giving the
Germans trouble, and Boelcke focused on tactics to counter them:
accurate gunnery, tight formations, and staying within the German
lines.

January, 1916

In January, 1916, Boelcke downed four more airplanes, including a
Vickers F.B.5 "Gunbus," a two-seater pusher biplane (an arrangement
favored by British designers early in the war). Boelcke was unfamiliar
with the Gunbus, and it surprised him with its maneuverability. He
backed off and tried again; the two planes twisted and turned for half
an hour, gradually losing altitude. When over Boelcke's airdrome at
Douai, the British flier finally made his mistake, and Boelcke shot him
down. He was decorated with the Pour le Mérite shortly after
this. It was also at this time that Boelcke rescued the French
schoolboy from the canal, for which he was awarded the French Life
Saving Medal a few months later.

In preparation for a huge German offensive, Boelcke's jasta (jagdstaffel
or fighter squadron) was moved to Verdun, where they were expected to
emphasize reconnaissance and bombing missions. On March 13, Boelcke
spotted a Voisin lagging its formation, and he moved in for the kill.
The biplane was fluttered and began to spin, then it slid off into a
cloud. When it emerged, its terrified gunner/observer had clambered out
onto the wing, in a desperate effort to stabilize it. Normally fighter
pilots don't have much compassion for their foes, but Boelcke was
horrified to see the Voisin suddenly lurch and cast the poor man into
empty space.

In the next few days, Boelcke shot down three Farmans, raising his
score to thirteen. He and Immelmann continued their friendly rivalry
until June of 1916, when Immelmann, then with 15 victories, was killed.

Jasta 2

In September, 1916, Boelcke was given command of a new fighter
squadron, Jasta 2. Even while assuming new administrative duties, and
while tasked with solving the tactical problem posed by British
two-seaters, Boelcke shot down eleven British planes in September. He
had recently recruited Manfred von
Richthofen, a promising Albatros two-seater pilot. Jasta 2,
equipped with the new Albatros D.II, began flying over the Somme
battlefield on September 17. The D.II was a shark-nosed biplane, light
but tough, powered by a 160 HP in-line Mercedes, that carried two
synchronized Spandau machine guns.

Boelcke and his pilots only flew in large, well-organized
formations, dubbed "circuses." Any Allied plane that came within their
section of the sky was doomed. Even as his own score grew to 40,
Boelcke cared little for his personal record.

He explained, "Everything depends on sticking together when the Staffel
goes into battle. It does not matter who actually scores the victory as
long as the Staffel wins."
He focused on drilling novices, instructing flight leaders, and
refining fighter tactics. He wrote and sketched his ideas, delivered
them in person throughout German air bases, and helped to form new
Jastas, staffed by leaders imbued with his ideas.

Some of Boelcke's rules for aerial combat:

Try to secure advantages before you attack. If possible, keep the
sun behind you.

Always carry through an attack when you have started it.

Fire only at close range and only when your opponent is properly
in your sights.

Always keep your eye on your opponent, and never let yourself be
deceived by ruses.

In any form of attack, it is essential to assail your opponent
from behind.

If your opponent dives on you, do not try to evade his onslaught,
but fly to meet it.

When over the enemy's lines, never forget your own line of
retreat.

Collision

On October 28, 1916, Boelcke was leading a formation of six Albatroses
in an attack on some D.H.2s. Von Richthofen and Erwin Boehme, another
talented flier, were with him. As they maneuvered against the D.H.2s,
Boehme's plane collided with Boelcke's, his wing slicing the upper-wing
struts of Boelcke's Albatros. Instantly, the wing folded up and the
plane dove into the ground. Boehme was devasted, but was prevented from
killing himself; he went on to shoot down 24 Allied planes and to
receive the Pour le Mérite himself.

Oswald Boelcke was buried in the cathedral at Cambrai, with senior
German officers and nobility present. Even British POW's at Osnabrück
sent a card.